Protective antenna cover



Nov. 22, 1966 J. P. KIMMETT 3,286,753

PROTECTI VE ANTENNA COVER Filed Jan. 12, 1966 INVENTORI JAME 5 P KIA/[MET T.

United States Patent 3,286,753 PROTECTIVE ANTENNA COVER James P.Kimmett, Delphos, Ohio, assignor to Kimcraft, Inc., Delphos, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 520,159 8 Claims. (Cl.150-52) This invention relates to protective covers for the motor andmountings for rotating television antenna systems. More specifically,this invention relates to a detachable cover for the motor and mountingsin an antenna rotator installation which cover serves to bothmechanically and electrically protect and shield the motor and mountingparts from the antenna lead wire and from the weather.

The advent of color television and the increased use of UHF channels hasgreatly increase the used of domestic rooftop directional antennasystems in which the antenna support shaft is rotated by a motor havingthe housing fixed to a rooftop support pole. Such systems, which arecommonly referred to as antenna rotors, present certain diificultiesrelating to the positioning and guidance of the antenna lead wire fromthe rotating antenna to the fixed guides leading downwardly from theantenna to the signal receiver. Because the antenna is mounted forrotation, the lead wire, which is normally a 300 ohm twin lead, musthave sufficient slack between its uppermost fixed point and its point ofattachment to the rotating antenna to follow the antenna through itspath of movement. With a sufiicient amount of slack, two problems arepresented. First, this slack portion must be held away or spaced fromany fixed projections on the motor housing or housing support pole andsecondly, the antenna lead must be spaced from or shielded from themagnetic field of the motor in order to prevent interference with orattenuation of the incoming signal. This latter problem is especiallycritical in the case of color television where the influence of themotor upon the lead wire may result in an impedance mismatch with thereceiver or may cause a slight phase shift in the incoming signal, thusdestroying the clarity of the picture received.

One solution to the problem is disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,711,519 inwhich the fixed end of the antenna is connected to a pair of slip ringswhich are slidingly associated with commutators leading to the rotatingantenna. Another solution is disclosed in US. Patent 2,682,609 in whichthe slack portion or bight of the antenna lead wire is mounted upon aflexible arm which holds the bight clear of the motor housing andassociated support pieces.

The devices disclosed in these two prior art patents require theinstallation of either a completely new rotor system or extensivemodification of the existing system.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a protectiveantenna cover for use with the rotor motor housing and mounting devicesfor rotating antenna systems which Will both mechanically andelectrically separate the incoming signal lead from the rotor motor andits housing.

It is another object of this invention to provide an economical,removable protective cover which may be attached to the housing of rotormotor support systems now in use and which will protect and shield theincoming signal leads from the rotor motor and its support installation.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a protectivecover of the type described which shields the rotor motor housing andits supporting installation from the corrosive effects of the weather.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a typical antenna rotor system showingthe rotor motor housing secured to a fixed support pole by a number oflaterally extending bolts or studs projecting from the rotor housing andshowing the antenna lead extending from a fixed guide on the supportpole to a rotating guide on the antenna support shaft;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the protective antenna cover of this invention,viewed from the interior side thereof which is placed in contact withthe rotor motor housing;

FIG. 3 is a partial view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing aportion of the protective cover of this invention in the arcuateconfiguration it would assume when attached to a rotor motor housing;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the protective cover of this invention, takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view in elevation, similar to FIG. 1 and showing an antennarotor with the protective cover of this invention attached thereto; and

FIG. 6 is a top view, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 and showing inphantom, a portion of the antenna cover of this invention prior to beingsnapped in position.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the rotor motor housing generally designatedby reference numeral 10, is secured to a fixed support pole 11 by aflanged bracket 12 which is clamped to the support pole 11 by nuts whichare threaded on a plurality of laterally extending bolts or studs 13extending from the motor housing 10. In all common installations, a pairof studs 13 extends outwardly on each side of the support pole 11 for asubstantial distance to accommodate various diameters of poles,depending upon the size of the antenna to be supported. Because thesestuds do extend a substantial distance in practice, one of thedifficulities found in such installations is the fact that the signallead, designated by reference numeral 14, often becomes hooked or fouledon one of the studs 13 when the antenna is rotated and the upper portionof the signal lead is carried by a rotating guide 15 from its brokenline position at 14a and 15a around to its solid line position at 14 and15. When so fouled by the stud 13, there is insuflicient slack in thebight of the antenna lead wire 14 to allow the antenna and its shaft 16to continue rotation without stretching or breaking the lead wire 14.Furthermore, as the lead wire 14 becomes hooked on the stud 13, it isdrawn across the motor housing 10 where the influence of the motor maycause attenuation of the incoming signal, as previously explained.Accordingly, without some means of holding the lead wire 14 away fromthe motor housing It) with a large enough bight to permit full rotationof the antenna and its shaft 15, the signal received by the receiver isimpaired if not otherwise destroyed by pulling the lead wire 14 from theantenna.

Referring to FIG. 2, the protective cover of this invention comprises agenerally elongate web or band which includes a solid rectangular body17 at one end with a pair of spaced apart legs 18 and 19 extendingtherefrom. The legs 18 and 19 are joined by a transverse arm 20 andterminate in a generally spherical ball 21 which is secured to the endof the legs 18 and 19 by a restricted neck portion 22.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the rectangular body portion 17 of the cover,when bent in an arcuate position, has a transversely extending channel23 extending into the inner surface of the cover, that is, the surfacewhich is adapted to be placed adjacent the motor housing 10 and thebracket 12 which is attached to the support pole 11 as previouslydescribed.

As best seen in FIG. 2, on each side of the channel 23 a plurality ofstud holes or recesses 24 extend into the body portion 17 of the coverfrom the inner surface thereof, on either side of the channel 23. Theserecesses 24 should be deep enough to completely receive the longest boltor stud 13 commonly supplied with commercially available rotorinstallations and should be of a diameter to receive the studs 13snugly. For instance, a recessed diameter of /z will accommodatecommonly used stud sizes of /2" and A number of closely spaced recesses24 are positioned on either side of the channel 23 to accommodate thevarious spacings for the positions of the studs in various commerciallyavailable rotor installations. Thus, of the 12 recesses shown, only fourwould receive studs, depending upon the positions of the stud in theparticular installation. Referring to FIG. 3, the top portion of eachrecess 24 has an area of enlarged diameter 25 which receives the nut oneach of the studs 13. On each side of the generally fiat surface throughwhich the recesses 24 extend is an inturned flange 26 which forms a pairof recesses to receive the edges of the bracket 12.

In each outer corner of the body portion 17, a restricted opening orsocket 27 extends into the body portion from the outer end thereof, asbest seen in FIG. 3. A separator portion 28 extends between the socket27 and maintains them spaced apart a given distance. As best seen inFIGS. 3 and 6, the inner and outer edges of the separator portion 28,designated by reference numerals 29 and 30, extend past the socket 27 oneach side to support the adjacent surfaces of the legs 18 and 19 whenthe balls 21 are inserted in the socket 27. The antenna cover ispreferably molded from a resilient plastic material, such aspolyethylene, so that the size of the socket 27 may be made slightlyless than the size of the complementary shaped ball 21 and the balls 21,when inserted in the sockets 27, will be held by friction with therestricted portion of the sockets 27 gripping the neck 22 joining theballs 21 to the end of the arm 18 or 19.

Referring to FIG. 6, the protective cover is installed by placing theinner surface of the body portion 17 adjacent the bracket 12 holding themotor housing It) to the support pole 11 and pushing the studs 13 intothe recesses 24. The sides of the bracket 12 may be inserted in thechannels formed by the flanges 26 by snapping the flanges 26 over theedges of the bracket 12. The next and final installation step is to wrapthe legs 18 and 19- around the motor housing and snap each of the balls21 into its respective socket 27.

The length of the entire cover portion is made to correspondsubstantially with the elliptical periphery of the motor housing 10 withthe support pole 11 and bracket 12 attached. A single sized protectivecover may be used for all commonly used installations since sizeadjustment may be accomplished by taking up the space or decreasing theradius of curvature of the arms 18 and 19 in certain areas, such as thatdesignated by reference numeral A in FIG. 6. Because, as previouslyexplained, the plurality of recesses 24 enable the cover members to beattached to models of antenna rotors having differently spaced apartstuds 13, the invention described provides a universal cover for usewith all types of commercially available rotor installations.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outer upper and lower edges 31 and 32extend outwardly from the main body portion 17 of the cover to provide acontinuous surface extending around the motor housing 10 with the outeredges of the legs 18 and 19. With the balls 21 of the legs 18 and 19inserted in place in the sockets 27, the continuous outer surfaceremains substantially unbroken, as best seen in FIG. 6. Thus a smoothsliding surface is provided for a signal lead wire to slide around asthe antenna turns relative to the support pole 11. In addition, theantenna lead wire 14 is at all times spaced from and not in contact withthe metal parts of the motor housing 10, the support pole 11 and thebracket 12.

It Will be seen that the protective cover of this invention as describedhas several advantages. Firstly, it is adaptable to use with allcommercially available antenna rotor installations. Secondly, because itcompletely covers the threaded installation of the motor housing 10 onthe support pole 11, it protects the studs 13 from the corrosiveelements to which they would be exposed and thus enables a serviceman toremove the unit for servicing or replacement without the necessity ofsawing off corrodedbolts, etc. Thirdly, the continuous outer surface ofthe installed protective cover provides a smooth sliding guide surfacefor the signal wire lead 14 as it is led around the rotor installationby the turning of the antenna relative to the support pole 11 andlastly, it insures separation of the signal wire 14 from the metal partsand the influence of the rotor motor field.

It may be desirable to completely encompass the motor housing 10 toprotect it from the Weather and cut down radiation effects of its field,etc. Thus a second preferred embodiment would be similar to thatdescribed but with no open space between the legs 18 and 19, that is,with the web 20 enlarged to extend substantially from the neck portion22 to the body portion 17 of the protective cover.

Various modifications of the above described preferred embodiment of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to beunderstood that such modifications can be made without departing fromthe scope and tenor of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A removable cover for an antenna rotor housing secured to a supportpole and having a plurality of spaced apart projecting members extendingfrom one side thereof, said cover comprising an elongate web of flexiblematerial having an inner and an outer major surface, a plurality ofspaced apart recesses in said inner surface extending into said web andadapted to receive said projecting members of said rotor housing, atleast one first attachment member in the outer surface of said web atone end thereof and at least one second attachment member extending fromthe other end of said web and adapted to join with said first attachmentmember, said first and second attachment members spaced apart a distancesubstantially equal to the peripheral distance around said rotor housingand support pole whereby, when said projecting members are received bysaid recesses with said inner major surface of said web adjacent saidrotor housing, said web may be wrapped around said housing and supportpole and said attachment members joined to one another to hold saidcover tightly around the periphery of said rotor housing and supportpole.

2. The removable cover of claim 1 wherein said elongate web includes agenerally rectangular portion at said one end with a pair of spacedapart first attachment members in the outer surface thereof and a pairof elongate legs extending away from said sockets to said other end ofsaid elongate web with a second attachment member on the end of each ofsaid elongate legs.

3. The removable cover of claim 2 which further includes at least onereinforcing arm extending between and substantially normal to saidelongate legs.

4. The removable cover of claim 1 wherein said first attachment memberis a restricted socket extending into said web in the outer surface atsaid one end thereof and said second attachment member is acomplementarily shaped ball adapted to be received and held by saidsocket.

5. The removable cover of claim 4 wherein said socket extends into saidweb at one end thereof in a direction substantially parallel to theelongate axes of said web.

6. The removable cover of claim 1 which further includes a recessedchannel in said inner major surface extending normal to the major axisof said elongate web intermediate said plurality of spaced apartrecesses.

7. The removable cover of claim 1 wherein said plurality of spaced apartrecesses comprise a series of cylindrical 5 6 aperatures extendingnormal to said inner major surface References Cited by the Examiner andterminating in the interior of said web. D T ES PATENTS 8. The removablecover of claim 1 which further in- UNITE S T cludes a flange on eachside of said plurality of recesses, 9831492 2/1911 Hamss 150*52 each ofsaid flanges extending normal to the axis of said 5 2,142,301 1/1939Buchalter 150 52 lot b dt"'dlof'dr 2 5 53 332? er mg mwar y Sal FRANKLINT. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

1. A REMOVABLE COVER FOR AN ANTENNA ROTOR HOUSING SECURED TO A SUPPORTPOLE AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART PROJECTING MEMBERS EXTENDINGFROM ONE SIDE THEREOF, SAID COVER COMPRISING AN ELONGATE WEB OF FLEXIBLEMATERIAL HAVING AN INNER AND AN OUTER MAJOR SURFACE, A PLURALITY OFSPACED APART RECESSES IN SAID INNER SURFACE EXTENDING INTO SAID WEB ANDADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID PROJECTING MEMBERS OF SAID ROTOR HOUSING, ATLEAST ONE FIRST ATTACHMENT MEMBER IN THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID WEB ATONE END THEREOF AND AT LEAST ONE SECOND ATTACHMENT MEMBER EXTENDING FROMTHE OTHER END OF SAID WEB AND ADAPTED TO JOIN WITH SAID FIRST ATTACHMENTMEMBER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND ATTACHMENT MEMBERS SPACED APART A DISTANCESUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE PERIPHERAL DISTANCE AROUND SAID ROTOR HOUSINGAND SUPPORT POLE WHEREBY, WHEN SAID PROJECTING MEMBERS ARE RECEIVED BYSAID RECESSES WITH SAID INNER MAJOR SURFACE OF SAID WEB ADJACENT SAIDROTOR HOUSING, SAID WEB MAY BE WRAPPED AROUND SAID HOUSING AND SUPPORTPOLE AND SAID ATTACHMENT MEMBERS JOINED TO ONE ANOTHER TO HOLD SAIDCOVER TIGHTLY AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROTOR HOUSING AND SUPPORTPOLE.